Crossing Roads and Cross Roads

Ask any first timer to Vietnam to cross the road by foot and you would know that it is an almost impossible feat. With motorbikes zooming in from the left and right on both lanes of the road, it takes more than just guts to achieve this task. In Vietnam they said the roads belong to the motorcyclists. Full concentration is needed. I managed to avoid accidents for the last 12 years. However in a momentary lapse of attention last week a speeding bike knocked me down. I am fine having enough body fat to cushion the impact.

When the Vietnamese Civil War ended in 1975, the North emerged as the victor and the South as the vanquished. The older folks in the South remember a period of great lack and of food rationing. A generation of kids grew up with a smaller physique due to lack of nutrition. Southerners have their children sent to Cambodia to fight an unpopular war against the Khmer Rouge mostly as the rank and file. The church went through a time of persecution. Many brave men and women who love God suffered. But the church never gave up. Though cowed at times it never gave up its hope in the Lord.

In 1989 there was a sovereign move of the Holy Spirit, seemingly a response from God who heard the cries of the people. There was an outpouring of His charismata. Healing and the miraculous were common occurrences. Many were saved. Space and room had to be created away from the eyes of the government to preserve the growth. A new wave known as the House Church Movement began. The people met secretly in their homes. They were mostly poor and uneducated.

In 1976 the "last" Bible School was closed by the authorities. The Great Commission Institute entered Vietnam in the early 1990's to provide training to church planters and evangelists.

The first of my 70+ trips to Vietnam started in 1994 as a guest teacher of GCI. I took the initiative and visited many churches in the West, Mekong and provinces north of Saigon. Many a time I was the first foreigner to be there. My most memorable trip was riding pillion on a motorbike over four days. I clocked more than 10 hours each day.

Through the years I have detected subtle changes in the society in the South (I have yet to travel to the North, an anomaly I am not in a hurry to correct) every four to five years. The changes are found in their dressing and grooming, the roads, the vehicles, manners, business and even the spiritual climate.

In my early years I used to hear businessmen bemoaning how difficult it is to do business in Vietnam. Now everyone is talking about coming to Vietnam to make money. Restaurants are packed from 6:30 pm onwards. Politically, a startling change happened this year. A Southerner became the Prime Minister. Who can imagine this happening so fast? Hold on to your seat. There is more to come. World Trade Organization and the recent APEC meeting in Vietnam also contributed to the many changes.

The most dramatic changes are in the church and the environment surrounding the church. It's the cross road for the church. Recently, I talked with two district leaders and a national leader from two of the largest denominations. I had the fortune of visiting the two district superintendents' underground churches 10 years ago.

In one of the provinces, I met with 10 of their young pastors and visited their churches. Today, the main church is enjoying recognition from the government. They have completed building their church. Anyone is free to come and go. Years ago the hostess of the church was time and time again threatened by the government officials.

In another province in the highland I have visited many of the underground churches there. I used to remove my spectacles lest I be identified as a foreigner. I was going around on a 50 cc motorbike, which was at least 20 years old with three persons astride. That was nine years ago. I visited the District Superintendent’s church. He was the only one who owned a motorbike. Today, his church is recognized by the government and on Sunday the compound of his church is full with motorcycles. Two of his members come in cars! His church income has increased 100 times.

Talking with another national leader, an old friend, about all the changes I told him that my colleague took over the Vietnamese work a year ago and has expanded it more than three-fold (1400 will be trained in 2006). He implored me that I should stick around to reap the fruits of the difficult years.

There was also another very interesting internal change or need among the churches and denominations. It is driven by the need to improve their systems, processes and management due to the expanding church, increasing sophistication of the church members and the complexities of managing a bigger organizational structure. One of my old friends asked me to help in these areas many months ago, especially in the area of accounting and auditing. Quoting her, "…these are the things we really need to study". I spent three days teaching this group the five functions of management and the principles of accounting and auditing.

GCI is still doing very well under the leadership of my co-worker. We have been increasingly asked to train key grass-root leaders from the frontlines of the leading denominations. More teachers and financial resources are required. More and more workers are being brought in from the provinces to be trained. This incurs a lot more finances in transportation. Please pray and support us.

What started as a sovereign move of God will invariably be sustained by Him. This is our firm belief and the reason we are still working so hard in Vietnam.